Speeches by the Prime Minister

Keynote Address by Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Opening of the Nightingale Grove Spring Village Bridge on June 12, 2026 __________________________________________________ This is the second bridge we're opening in as many weeks. Last week I was in Troy on the border of Manchester and Trelawny, where I was in the presence of some very happy Jamaicans. Absolutely happy that their bridge, which was built 100 odd years ago, was being restored. They felt so much pride, so much dignity. They felt that they were being acknowledged and respected by their government. I felt so good within myself as their Prime Minister to have the opportunity to open and hand over to them this wonderful piece of infrastructure. It gives me also great pleasure today to be here with the people of Spring Village and adjoining communities to celebrate the opening of another wonderful piece of infrastructure. Now this bridge, I believe it is called the Nightingale Grove Bridge, was built in the early 1900s. Yes, so this bridge is over 150 years old. It was washed away, that was really washed away, but it was compromised by heavy flows should…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Opening of the Caenwood SPARK Road, Hope Bay, Portland On July 3, 2026 __________________________________________________________________________   Thank you. The beautiful people of Portland, specifically Western Portland, who came out to greet me and in particular those two young ladies who gave me such a loving embrace. It is indicative of the warmth of the people of this lovely, lovely parish.  As I drove in on your main thoroughfare, your main road here, I reflected on the fact that road would be now close to 15 years old, and it is one of those roads that we consider to be very well built. Rarely is there a pothole or a failure of the surface. All the retaining walls are held up. It is an example to local and international contractors of the quality of work that Jamaica needs to improve its infrastructure, but it also shows that roads can be well built in Jamaica, and that is an example of a well-built road. Indeed, the road that we open today is designed to last a minimum of seven years without need for rehabilitation. But…

Statement by Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the NSHP House Handover in Caenwood, Hope Bay, Portland on July 3, 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those 500 houses and several basic schools, obviously this is a Member of Parliament who has the interest of the people at heart, a working and effective Member of Parliament. Now to the matter at hand, it is my distinct pleasure to hand over this social housing unit to a worthy recipient. His name, for those of you who don't know, is Recardo Gibson, otherwise known as “bad luck”. I officially change his name from “bad luck” to “good luck”. So now he's officially Recardo “good luck” Gibson, because obviously the Lord has smiled at him through the New Social Housing Programme to give him a structure for himself and his wife and his other family members can live with some dignity. It is always, for me, a sign of the effectiveness of the programme that when the benefit is individualized as it is now, one person is getting the benefit or a family, the entire community comes out in celebration of that person. Every one of you there…

Keynote Address by Dr. the Most Honorable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica  at the SPARK Main Road Launch On  July 2, 2026 _______________________________________________________________________ The SPARK Programme is a $45 billion infrastructure programme. It provides $20 billion for main roads, $16 billion for community roads, $5 billion for water infrastructure, and $4 billion for engineering, designs, consultancy, supervision, and associated costs. This is very important to know. Not all the roads are asphalt and pipes. Much of what we do is about planning for the road. So, this phase targets critical corridors and 63 main roads across the island that connect communities, parishes, and economic centers to improve the wider transportation network. The Government  will be spending 20 billion dollars on Main Road component of the SPARK Programme. So, even before we put a backhoe on the road, there is a significant volume of work that is done to ensure that the road is done well and will last. In fact, the proprietary works are just as important, if not more important, than the actual implementation and construction. So, I want the public to understand that for all the roads that we are doing under the SPARK…

Remarks by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit & Exhibition (SEOGS 2026) On June 23, 2026 ________________________________________________   Madam President, Excellencies, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Good morning, I bring warm greetings of the government and people of Jamaica, and I thank Staatsolie and the Government of Suriname for the honor of addressing you at this remarkable moment in your history. This session is about the journey from oil and offshore development to project delivery, and there is no better place in the world to have that conversation than right here in your beautiful country. With the final investment decision in GranMorgu and first oil now in sight, Suriname has crossed the threshold from promise to delivery. This is the largest investment in your nation's history, but it is more than just a Surinamese milestone. When one of our nations in the region rises, the entire region rises. So, on behalf of Jamaica, I say to Suriname, congratulations. We are proud of you, and we stand with you with recoverable resources of more than seven hundred and fifty million barrels, an investment of approximately ten point five billion United States dollars, and…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference on June 16, 2026 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   'No weh no better than yard!' I just felt that a while ago. I mean, isn't Minister Johnson Smith such a wonderful minister? I believe she's the best minister of foreign affairs, but I think she gave my speech. Bishop, the Honourable Conrad Pitkin representing His Excellency the Governor General, The Speaker of the House, the Most Honourable Juliet Holness, Dr Horace Chang, our Deputy Prime Minister. We affectionately refer to him as the President of the Republic of Montego Bay And of course, my dear friend, Mr Mark Golding. Mark, how could I forget you? It was not always the case at these events that the leader of the opposition was invited to speak, but as this event evolved into more of a national event rather than a government-sponsored event, it became the protocol that the leader of the opposition, which is a constitutional position, quite a unique thing in constitutional innovations to have the office of the leader of the opposition written into the constitution. So, Mark, we can never forget you,…

Main Address by Dr the Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Official Opening of the Troy Bridge on June 5, 2026 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   Today we gather to celebrate the opening of a bridge, but in truth, we are celebrating something much greater than a bridge. We are celebrating reconnection. We are celebrating resilience. We are celebrating the triumph of persistence over delay. For the people of this area, the Troy Bridge is not simply a physical structure, it is part of the history of this community, and part of the story of Jamaica itself. The original bridge was built in 1869. Pause for a moment and consider what that means. It could mean that your great, great, great grandparent would have walked across that bridge when it was just built, or maybe even helped to build it. This bridge stood before the arrival of motor vehicles in Jamaica so this bridge was built to carry donkey cart but for 152 years, and in the last 60 of those 152 years, it would have carried some heavy-duty trucks. It stood before electricity reached here. It stood through generations of change, connecting families, farmers, merchants, churches, schools, communities…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Handing Over Ceremony for Malvern Housing Development on June 4, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Thank you, Dwyane for your usual mastery of the ceremony. Let me thank Reverend Father Olando Gayle for your thoughtful prayers. Let me acknowledge Mr Franklin Witter, the Honourable Minister  of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Member of Parliament for this fortunate constituency, and he is joined by Member of Parliament Andrew Morris from the adjoining constituency to give some support. His Worship the Mayor Councillor Richard Solomon, the Mayor of Black River and he is joined by other members of the municipal corporation. I see Councillor Simpson and Councillor Holness who is my cousin. And of course, the National Housing Trust, the team that is always faithfully at these ceremonies. Let me acknowledge your Chairman Mr Linval Freeman and your Managing Director Mr Martin Miller. Other stakeholders and representatives of the private sector And let me specially acknowledge the beneficiaries, the persons who will be claiming this land as theirs and building on it. I'm so very much happy for you today. And you would not…

Address by Dr the Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica at the NSWMA Long Service Awards Ceremony on June 4, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allow me to acknowledge your minister, the Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, and other members of the Cabinet who are here. Let me specially acknowledge as well the Minister of Finance who is here, Minister Donovan Williams Mrs Natalie Neita Garvey, Member of Parliament and Spokesperson on Local Government representing the Leader of the Opposition Mrs Marsha Henry Martin, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Chairmen of municipal corporations who are here. I notice the Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew is here, and I also did not see our Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Alando Terrelonge. Normally I would be used to you at the head table, sir. I was about to mention that you are in bad company. And Member of Parliament Damion Crawford. I'm surprised by the very high level of government representation that has turned up today. I've been to other events where I scarcely see any government or opposition representation, but it shows…